China backs down, releases Vietnamese fishermen (Extra)

Oct 12, 2010, 9:55 GMT

Hanoi - China has released nine Vietnamese fishermen it had detained since September for fishing in disputed waters, Vietnam's defence minister said Tuesday.

The move was seen as a retreat for China, which had been demanding that the fishermen pay a fine.

'I'm very glad to inform you that China has already released the nine fishermen from Quang Ngai province arrested on September 11,' Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh said. 'This shows China's goodwill.'

The Chinese move came while its defence minister attended an international gathering in Hanoi intended to build trust and calm tensions in South-East Asia.

The first-ever ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) brought together the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations as well China, the US, Japan, South Korea, India, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.

China claims most of the South China Sea as its own, but some of its claims are disputed by Vietnam, Malaysia, and other ASEAN nations.

Over the past year, China has detained dozens of Vietnamese boats and hundreds of crew for fishing in the waters around the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which Vietnam also claims.

Read more about ASEAN

Read more about China

Read more about Vietnam Diplomacy